Two Arrested In Sex Sting

Officer Pretended To Be 14-year-old Online

PLAINVILLE — Two men came to town this weekend to meet underage girls who they thought were willing to have sex, police said.

But the two men, whose rendezvous were unrelated, had unwittingly set up dates with a local police officer who surfs the Internet to capture men trying to lure underage girls into having sexual relations with them.

In Stanley Winman's case, the 14-year-old girl he met online and who he allegedly cajoled into a date was Officer David Posadas.

Winman, 45, of North Scituate, R.I., was arrested Friday morning when he arrived in town to meet the ``teen.''

Winman was charged with enticement of a minor, criminal attempt to commit second-degree sexual assault and criminal attempt to employ a minor in an obscene performance.

Shortly before 7 p.m., police arrested Christopher Elam, 23, of Rocky Hill, who had come to meet the ``teen'' with whom he had set up his date.

Elam is accused of enticing a minor, criminal attempt to commit second-degree sexual assault and criminal attempt to impair the morals of a minor.

``There was no doubt what they were looking for,'' said Lt. Brian Mullins. ``They knew the person they were about to meet was underage. It was made very clear that the age of the girl Officer Posadas was pretending to be was 14.''

When he's not roaming the town in a police cruiser, Posadas patrols the Internet for computer crimes. He met Winman and Elam on Jan. 25 and wrote them intermittently for five days, pretending to be a 14-year-old girl, said Mullins.

Both men missed their first appointments with the ``girl.'' Winman said he got lost and Elam just failed to show up. They soon rescheduled for Jan. 30, said Sgt. Paul Shanahan.

``These Internet predators are persistent,'' said Shanahan.

Winman arranged to meet the girl at a fast-food restaurant in town, and Elam agreed to pick her up at the parking lot of an apartment complex, said Mullins.

Winman was released after posting $100,000 bail. He is scheduled to appear in court Feb. 17.

Elam was arraigned Monday in Bristol Superior Court. His bail was set at $100,000, and he is scheduled to be back in court Feb. 27.